Paris (Web Desk): A brisk stroll once or twice a week is enough to reduce the risk of dying from heart attack, stroke or cancer.
According to a study, people who walked or gardened 10 minutes to an hour each week had an 18 per cent lower risk of death from any cause compared to full-on couch potatoes, researchers reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Two-and-a-half to five hours weekly of such "moderate physical activity" — broken into segments of no less than 10 minutes — resulted in a 31 percent reduction in risk, they found.
And those who clocked up at least 25 hours almost halved the risk.
Not everyone, however, has that much time to spend on leisure-time exercise, the authors acknowledged.
Heart-pumping and pulse-quickening activities such as biking, running and competitive sports "are more time-efficient than moderate intensity activity," they said.
For cardiovascular disease alone, there was no additional benefit to be gained by graduating from five to 25 hours, they noted.